Home
by Couatl
Summary: And Shizuru smiled – a small, gentle smile. Again, Natsuki thought that there was something off with it, but she brushed it away. Oneshot, AU.


Disclaimer: Well, Tate isn't dead, is he?

Notes:  
First oneshot. I apologise for my horribly limited vocabulary here. But then again, I was trying to write it in a simple way.  
Also, I intend to stay true to the genre, although I seriously suck at this kind of things. I would really appreciate some commentary and remarks on how I can improve.

**Home**

* * *

She first saw her on the second day of school.

She introduced herself as Fujino Shizuru.

Natsuki wasn't sure why she was so interested in the flaxen-haired girl. Shizuru's deep red eyes were certainly unusual and had aroused the curiosity of the whole class, but Natsuki had never been one to care for appearances. It was the swirling mass that lay behind those eyes that intrigued her.

Shizuru smiled – a small, gentle smile.

Natsuki thought that there was something off with it, but she brushed it away.

The teacher assigned her a seat at the far end of the classroom, away from Natsuki. The dark cobalt-haired girl sent constant glances in her direction, noting her quiet demeanour, placid expression and the unidentified emotions that were hidden in those burgundy pools.

From the correct and precise answers she gave the teacher when she called on her, Natsuki could tell that Shizuru was more intelligent than most seven-year-olds. But she would never admit that she was impressed.

Day after day passed, and soon an entire week went by. Natsuki had not personally met Shizuru yet, but she still ignited a spark of interest in the emerald-eyed girl, and Natsuki continued to watch her discreetly. She observed her delicate way of eating, her calm steps, and her polite manner.

Shizuru was a moderately popular student. She was always friendly to others, and before long, even the pupils from other classes knew her fairly well. There was always a small beam on her face, and everyone thought that she was always happy. Natsuki was no exception.

--

Once, Natsuki was playing tag with her friends during recess.

Mai was intent on catching Mikoto, eager to prove that she could run just as fast as the hyperactive girl could. She was not having much success though, much to the glee of her black-haired target.

Natsuki knew that she would never be able to outrun Mikoto once she relented and allowed Mai to finally tag her, and decided to find a place to hide and catch her breath.

She pushed past the brambles, crawling into the school garden, hoping to discover a comfortable spot amidst the bushes safe from her friends. After years of training, she was confident that she would easily manage to stumble upon a good hiding place.

What she did not expect to find was Fujino Shizuru sitting at the bottom of an apple tree, leaning against the bark.

He eyes were shut, enclosing those crimson orbs within as she rested. Natsuki thought that she was sleeping until they snapped open when she stepped on a twig while making her way towards the girl. She felt her entire body stiffen up as Shizuru raised her head to look her in the eye, unblinking.

"Ah! I'm sorry; I didn't mean to disturb you!" Natsuki was quick to apologise.

Shizuru was silent, and Natsuki swore that there was a glint of amusement in those accursed eyes of hers.

"It's fine, Kuga-san." Her voice was light-hearted, and Natsuki let out a sigh of relief.

"Ano… Do you mind if I intrude…?" She asked, twiddling her thumbs awkwardly.

"I don't own the school garden, Kuga-san. You're free to be in here anytime." Shizuru replied with a laughing tone to her words, causing Natsuki to feel somewhat embarrassed.

The dark-haired girl nodded thankfully, scrambling around the area until she dived into a part of the shrubbery. Settling into her position, she listened out for any signs of Mai or Mikoto as she carefully avoided the thorns that adorned her chosen location. She disliked the danger of the prickles, but did not want to waste anymore time searching for a different place.

Eventually, there was a loud rustling and an explosion of leaves as Mikoto charged into the clearing. Natsuki didn't dare breathe, unwilling to be detected and pounced on by the dubbed monkey, especially since there was a high chance that she would be scratched by the barbs if Mikoto did that.

"Ne, Fujino-san, did Natsuki come by here?" The childish voice was familiar to her.

"I'm not entirely sure, Minagi-san." Shizuru's was a sharp contrast – cool and collected.

"Oh, alright!" Mikoto, ever impatient, was gone in a blur.

Natsuki peeked out of her leafy turret, cautiously creeping out when she saw no indication of the so-called monkey's presence. She was greeted by a grinning Shizuru, and she couldn't help but give an appreciative smirk. She swept the bits of foliage out of her long hair, and then turned to face her saviour.

"Thanks." She coughed, unaccustomed to expresses gratitude.

"Kuga-san is welcome." Shizuru replied smoothly.

Natsuki stood there, head bowed, unsure whether it was rude to walk off just like that. She felt Shizuru's stare fixed on her and was feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Desperate to vanquish her uneasiness, she fumbled for some topics of conversation.

"Erm...Er… Ah, what are you doing?" She managed to say, slapping herself inwardly.

"Ara, I'm honoured to be graced with Kuga-san's interest." The other girl commented jokingly, and Natsuki produced a powerful blush.

"N-no! I was just curious!" She retorted, a little too noisily.

Unfortunately for Natsuki, her yelling attracted Mikoto, who had recognised the indignant shouting immediately. Natsuki fell to the ground as a sudden weight was launched onto her back, stubbornly remaining there as she lay on her stomach, defeated.

"Natsuki, I've caught you!" Mikoto sang, seemingly giddy with excitement.

"Get off me!" Natsuki flared, humiliated to be seen in this situation by Shizuru.

The light goldenrod-haired girl only raised a hand to her mouth, hiding the happy curve of her lips behind it. Mikoto started bouncing on her as she demanded – unreasonably, considering the circumstances – for Natsuki to get up. The victim in the grass was mortified.

"Mikoto, I think you'd better step off Natsuki before you break her spine." Mai chuckled as she entered the clearing. Natsuki groaned at the increased number of witnesses of her current condition.

The ebony-haired girl gradually hopped off and joined Mai in running away before Natsuki could tag them back, leaving the blue-haired one to rise from the weeds.

She looked up, realising that Shizuru was shifting her gaze from Mai and Mikoto to her and back again, and was nearly convinced that there was a flash of forlornness in those unreadable eyes. Natsuki sensed that there was much more than what could be seen in them, and hesitated.

She was quick to make up her mind, and approached Shizuru slowly. The burgundy-eyed girl shot her a mildly confused look, but Natsuki only flashed an assuring grin in return. She came to a stop right in front of the puzzled girl, her grin growing wider as she reached out – and was a bit perplexed when Shizuru winced at the contact – to tap her shoulder.

"Tag, you're 'it'!" She declared triumphantly, giving Shizuru an encouraging smile, urging the startled girl to participate in the fun. There was a moment of hush.

And Shizuru smiled – a small, gentle smile.

Again, Natsuki thought that there was something off with it, but she brushed it away.

"No, Kuga-san is 'it'." She giggled as she slapped her gently on the arm, and then turned to flee.

Natsuki, discovering that she had been tricked, began to pursue Shizuru after standing there dumbly for a couple of appalled seconds. Laughter burst from within her, pleased that she was victorious in getting the usually reserved girl to play the boisterous game.

"Just 'Natsuki' is fine!"

--

Sometimes, Shizuru would arrive at school with a fair amount of bruising on her body.

The teachers would appear concerned, questioning what had happened to her that inflicted the wounds on her. Her classmates would ask her if she was alright, troubled by their friend's physical well-being. But Shizuru would smile reassuringly, saying that she looked worse than she actually was.

"I accidently tripped." She would add, her face displaying nothing that might have hinted at any pain.

Everyone would accept her reason – the teachers would then chide her for clumsiness, and the other students remarking on how she should have been more careful. Shizuru would put on a mask of happiness that supposedly came from the joy of having people who cared for her.

Natsuki had never, even for the merest second, believed that facade.

Nevertheless, no matter how many times Natsuki prodded at and begged her to tell her the truth, Shizuru would just smile and say that she already had. If her green-eyed friend persisted, she would then resort to deadlier and more efficient means of keeping her inquiries at bay.

"I'm so flattered, for even Natsuki to be worried about me." She would exclaim teasingly, effectively shutting Natsuki up.

Over time, Natsuki would forget about those particular incidents. Shizuru did not seem affected by it, and it was something that she did not want to speak of. Natsuki respected her privacy, knowing that Shizuru would have her reasons for doing so.

This time, however, it was different.

She came with a denim cap on her head, and Natsuki strongly believed that its oversized fit looked out of place on her, although in that same sense, she was quite a cute figure. The class was surprised by her unforeseen action, but Shizuru said she chose to wear it on a whim.

Yet, Natsuki noticed that Shizuru avoided her suspicious glare for the whole lesson.

That was why when the bell rang and announced that it was break time, she did not follow her excited classmates to the playground, but marched off in the way her goal had sped off in. It did not take her long to find her objective sitting in the school garden, in the exact same place she had been in when she and Natsuki first met.

She hugged her knees, pressing them close to her torso, her weight supported by that apple tree. Natsuki strode towards the girl, placing one hand on the smooth bark of the trunk, and the other on the side of her hip to take on an exasperated look.

"What do you think you're doing?" She huffed, irritated by her friend's behaviour.

"Taking a short rest." Shizuru responded, unfazed. Her eyes were closed.

"You know what I mean." Natsuki protested, growing scared. She could not remember Shizuru ever being in such an aloof mood before.

"No, I don't." She almost sounded agitated, and her voice had an edge to it.

Natsuki felt her temper snap, and with a deft flick of her wrist, promptly removed the cap. It twirled in the air for a second or so, landing with a soft thud in the long grass. A thick and heavy silence permeated the scene, like a dense fog that clung to the pair.

The next sentence cut through it cleanly.

"Don't give me any crap about tripping anymore." Natsuki gritted her teeth so hard that it actually started to hurt, but she didn't feel it.

Shizuru let out a resigned sigh, aware that Natsuki was not at all happy with her state. Bandages had been wrapped all over her forehead, enveloping the top of her skull in a white material. Whoever had done it had done a poor job, judging by the few stray strips of bandaging that stuck out messily.

"It's nothing Natsuki should be bothered with." The reply was accompanied with a carefree grin, but it only made Natsuki feel her insides curdling and turning sour.

It was exceptionally obvious that it was faked, and what irked Natsuki was that it was so forced that even Shizuru, with her amazing pokerfaced prowess, had been unable to pull that one off on her. Natsuki felt the fingers of the hand that was put on the apple tree ball up into a fist, leaving scratch marks in the bark in the process.

"I _am _bothered. I _am _worried. I care, Shizuru, I _care_." Natsuki hissed, scowling.

There was a fleeting emotion that flickered on Shizuru's face, and Natsuki couldn't register how that much anguish, shock and joy could be compressed together all at one go. Shizuru licked her lips, as if her mouth had suddenly turned dry right at that moment.

"It's really nothing Natsuki should be bothered with." She repeated firmly, her voice trembling a little. Before Natsuki could unleash hell, Shizuru continued to talk and interrupted her rage.

"But," she whispered, looking up at her dark-sapphire-haired friend. "But, Natsuki, I'm really happy."

Natsuki was baffled, thinking that her friend was talking about her head injury.

"I'm really happy that you care." Shizuru said simply, but it hinted at the fortitude of feelings that was bottled up behind those blank, burgundy eyes.

And it rendered Natsuki to be at a loss for words.

Thus, after staring stupidly at Shizuru for a while, she swiftly climbed up the tree, plucked two apples and scooted down with the sole intention to present one of the fruit to her friend. Thrusting an apple into the other girl's hands fiercely, Natsuki plopped herself down next to her, munching on her own apple as she tried to ignore her astonished stare.

"Ookini, Natsuki. Not only for the apple."

And again, Shizuru smiled – a small, gentle smile.

And yet again, Natsuki thought that there was something off with it, but she brushed it away.

--

"Shizuru's coming over today!" Natsuki announced, pounding up the stairs.

I got up from my rug at the top of the staircase, following her into her bedroom. Natsuki shut the door right after I trotted in, taking a running leap onto her bed to jump on it in ecstasy. I frolicked at the foot of her bed, sharing her delight and thrilled to be able to meet that nice girl she was telling me about the other day.

Natsuki flew off the bed and landed securely on her feet, turning around to crouch down and tousle my ears. I wondered how fantastic Shizuru must have been, to be able to get Natsuki in such high spirits. Wagging my tail furiously in both anticipation and pleasure, I barked a few times to show that I had acknowledged her words.

"Be on your best behaviour, Duran." Natsuki ordered seriously, but mirth was evident in her eyes.

I growled playfully, but sat upright and stiffly to express my earnestness. She grinned in approval, rubbing my head and repetitively telling me that I was a 'good boy'. Basking in the floods of praise and affection, my furry tail only wiggled faster and harder.

The doorbell rang, echoing throughout the house.

Natsuki soared through the doorway as her door slammed open with a crash that shook the whole house, skidding down the stairs to come to a halt at the front door with a face as bright as the first sunrise. Small hands reached out and nearly yanked the doorknob out with euphoria as she opened the door, revealing a stunning sight.

"Kannin na, Natsuki. It took me a while to get out." A rueful voice apologised.

I whimpered, cringing from her depressing form. Her arms and legs were clad in a multitude of scratches, marring her beautiful skin. Most of them were an obtrusive, bleeding red, rivalling the shade of her soft eyes. Her right hand was grasping her left elbow in what one could assume was pain, the sides of her pale lips twitching.

"… Shizuru…" Natsuki gasped, barely audible.

"It's nothing Natsuki should be bothered with." There was a minor crack in her comforting smile.

Not bothering to argue, Natsuki pulled Shizuru up and into her bedroom. Her brow was creased with anxiety, and her grip was gentle although forceful. I sprang after them, nosing the door shut once we were all inside. A remorseful whine resounded from my throat.

"Sit." Natsuki demanded, pointing to the plastic stool in the middle of her room. Shizuru reluctantly complied.

The dark-navy-haired girl fetched a clean cloth from the emergency box she kept under her bed, running to the bathroom to wash it while I provided my company to her friend. Wringing the water out of the fabric, Natsuki rushed back into the room, brandishing the cloth.

Shizuru grimaced uncharacteristically as Natsuki cleaned her up but gave no complaint, and Natsuki took it as an invitation to continue. Unceasingly wiping the trickling blood from her wounds, her face stoic, she raced back to the bathroom to rinse it and return to her task again.

When Natsuki was finally satisfied, she let the cloth drop to the floor, oblivious to the light red stain developing on her carpeted flooring. I picked the rag up to put it in the bathroom as I tried not to let it come into contact with my tongue, disturbed by the strong taste of blood.

"No more lies, Shizuru." Natsuki exhaled, filled with uncertainty.

"I had difficulties getting out of my house." Shizuru replied evenly. Natsuki didn't seem to notice, but I noted the use of 'house' instead of 'home'.

"Oh?" Natsuki fixed Shizuru with a penetrating stare, waiting for the details.

"My parents would not allow me out, so I climbed out of the window, fell down into a rose bush, and got carelessly scrapped by the thorns."

For a brief instance, the shutters of those garnet windows flapped open, and I caught a glimpse of a secret, raging sea. I felt my tail become dull and numb, frightened by what I wasn't supposed to see but saw.

Natsuki had an incredulous look on her face, but said nothing about the explanation given. The tension in the enclosed area rose to an unbearable level, and I barked frantically to disperse the strains of the stillness. It worked.

"Oh, this is Duran." Natsuki introduced sheepishly – apparently, she had forgotten that I was there.

"Duran-kun." Shizuru greeted graciously, shaking my outstretched paw with utmost sincerity.

The next several hours were spent romping with me, and I was elated with the attention showered upon me. But even though my entire soul was wriggling with jubilation, my mind was shrouded with apprehension as the recollection of the sangria eyes overflowing with emotion plagued my conscience.

"Natsuki, I think I should get back to my house now." The substitution of 'home' was so distinct that I was disappointed that Natsuki did not find it strange.

"Do you need an umbrella?" Natsuki asked as we escorted her down the stairs, to the front door.

"There's no need. I won't be able to return it to you, anyway." Shizuru answered.

Natsuki was cut short before she could ask why she wouldn't be able to return it.

"Otou-san didn't want me out." Shizuru deadpanned, her words nearly lost in the symphony of the falling rain outside.

"Then why…?" Her question dwindled into a miserable silence.

"I wanted to see Natsuki one last time." She said bluntly, and her statement was accompanied with so much warmth that Natsuki did not have a chance to ask why it was the 'last time'.

Shizuru smiled – a small, gentle smile.

Natsuki thought that there was something off with it, but she brushed it away.

And the light-haired girl took off without another word. Her running figure fading away in the wretched downpour, sending wet strikes against her back in an attempt to push her down into the mud. It nearly succeeded – Shizuru tripped but regained her balance before she hit the ground.

If dogs could speak human tongue, I would have told Natsuki that there were glass shards in the cloth.

--

Days passed, and those days turned into weeks.

Shizuru had not turned up in school.

Natsuki wonders, but she doesn't ask.

Weeks passed, and those weeks turned into months.

Natsuki was slowly forgetting about her.

When Duran died from disseminated histoplasmosis, all the fragmented memories of Shizuru were swept to one side as she focused on grieving for her beloved dog.

Shizuru was entirely disremembered.

Then Natsuki heard the news.

As the class stood in the front of one particular polished rock in the midst of the rest, she stared at the engraved stone in disbelief. Natsuki could feel the lump in her throat increase in size, and he breathing was choked and ragged. But then, a single image occupied her field of vision.

Shizuru was smiling – a small, gentle smile.

But this time, Natsuki no longer thought that there was something off with it.

The faint scent of apples wafted by, tinkling laughter as clear as wind chimes resonated in her ears, and an unmistakable Kyoto-ben was heard.

_I'm home, Duran-kun._

* * *

Oh, that was so weird-assed and cheesy that I have nothing to say.

Review, please?


End file.
